About Us: Overview

Astrobiology—the study of life in the Universe—investigates the wide range of multidisciplinary factors that may influence the origin and evolution of life on Earth and beyond.

This investigation demands an intense interdisciplinarity, and the Astrobiology Program at the University of Washington is creating a new community of scholars, investigators, and educators. This community is skilled in multidisciplinary methods and thinking and pushes the boundaries beyond the commonplace with intellectual vigor, creativity, and rigorous method.

Astrobiology at the University of Washington builds on the strengths of traditional academic structure to transcend the limits of specialization through the synergy of multidisciplinary cooperation in both research and education.

Our membership in the NASA Astrobiology Institute offers unique opportunities for mutidisciplinary research collaboration.

Our internationally recognized Graduate Certificate Program offers a rigorous, interdisciplinary curriculum in cooperation with the Ph.D. programs of our participating departments. Our program's unique features that bond students and faculty from widely disparate departments. Participating graduate students gain the personal and professional skills necessary to successfully engage in multidisciplinary collaborations.

The emerging field of Astrobiology benefits from and is shaped by the perspectives of multiple disciplines directed at a common problem. So, too, does the Astrobiology community of scholars and researchers at the University of Washington benefit from the breadth of perspective offered by diversity in culture and race among our Program's participants. We strongly encourage and support applications from under-represented groups in science and engineering, in particular women and minorities. Please click here for more information.

CONTACT US:

astrobio@u.washington.edu

Astrobiology Program
Box 352192
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195-2192